G8 ministers condemn North Korea ‘in strongest terms’

G8 foreign ministers strongly condemned North Korea over its nuclear programme and said Thursday they were appalled by the rising death toll in Syria as they wrapped up two days of talks that focused on the two spiralling crises.

After a two-day meeting in London, the ministers including US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Pyongyang it faced further sanctions in the event of a missile launch that is expected imminently, amid soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie meanwhile attended the signing of a new agreement to tackle sexual violence in conflict zones, which British Foreign Secretary William Hague has made a priority of his country’s chairmanship of the Group of Eight rich nations this year.

Videographic: The Koreas - what's it all about?

North Korea was the focus of talks on Thursday and the ministers “condemned in the strongest possible terms the continued development of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes” including uranium enrichment, they said in a statement.

North Korea was in direct violation of four UN Security Council resolutions, it said, adding that Pyongyang’s nuclear test on February 12, this year – its third since 2006 – and two missile launches last year “threaten international peace and security”.